Distribution and habitat suitability index model for the Andean catfish Astroblepus ubidiai (Pisces: Siluriformes) in Ecuador
Distribution and habitat suitability index model for the Andean catfish Astroblepus ubidiai (Pisces: Siluriformes) in Ecuador
In conservation biology there is a basic need to determine habitat suitability and availability. Astroblepus ubidiai (Siluriforms), the only native fish in the highlands of Imbabura province in the Ecuadorian Andes, was abundant in the past in the Imbakucha watershed and adjacent drainages, but currently it is restricted to a few isolated refuges. Conservation actions are needed if this unique fish is to persist. A Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) for the species has been developed in order to aid management decisions. In this HSI model biomass density (B) was selected as a better indicator of habitat quality than either abundance or density.A population well-being index (PI) was constructed with the combination of B and an indicator of fish health (proportion of fish in the population with parasites and deformities). Based in other models of benthic fish the habitat variables current velocity, flow, depth, width, cover, invertebrate composition, vegetation type, terrestrial vegetation, land use, substrate, temperature, pH, TDS, oxygen, altitude, and slope were included in the analysis. An anthropogenic perturbation index (H) and a fragment isolation index (FII) were developed and included as habitat variables as well. The HSI model was applied to refuges and a sample of 15 aquatic bodies without fish populations within the study region. From the sampled sites without A. ubidiai 26.6% presented low quality, andthe remaining 73.3% had medium quality according to the HSI estimated. Good quality habitat for dispersal, escape or translocations is rare in the region. The low HSIs estimated in some of the refuges suggests that current populations are not settled in the most favorable habitat but in the habitat least favorable to the agents of decline. Astroblepus ubidiai (Siluriformes), el único pez nativode las alturas de Imbabura, en los Andes Ecuatorianos,era un recurso abundante en el pasado. Actualmente sudistribución está limitada a unos cuantos refugios aislados.Se necesitan acciones de conservación para que estaespecie perdure. Se desarrolló un modelo para estimar elíndice de calidad de hábitat (ICH) que ayude en futurasdecisiones de manejo. En este ICH la densidad de biomasa(B) fue seleccionada como un mejor indicador de calidadde hábitat, comparada con el uso común de abundanciao densidad incorporado en otros modelos. Se generó uníndice de bienestar poblacional (IP) basado en B y en unindicador de salud poblacional (SP) derivado de la proporciónde peces en la población con parásitos y malformaciones.Diecinueve variables físicas, biológicas y geográficasfueron evaluadas dentro del modelo, el cual fue aplicadoa una muestra de 15 sitios sin poblaciones de A. ubidiaidentro del área de estudio. De esta muestra, 26.6% de lossitios presentó baja calidad de hábitat, y el restante 73.3%presentó calidad media de acuerdo a la evaluación con elmodelo. En la región hay escasos hábitats de buena calidadpara dispersión, escape y reubicación de este pez.
Colecciones
Ítems relacionados
Mostrando ítems relacionados por Título, autor o materia.
-
Reproductive activity of birds in a mangrove swamp in Northwest Costa Rica
Barrantes Montero, Gilbert -
Effect of fragmentation on the Costa Rican dry forest avifauna
Barrantes Montero, Gilbert; Ocampo Vargas, Diego; Ramírez Fernández, José Daniel; Fuchs Castillo, Eric J. (2016)Deforestation and changes in land use have reduced the tropical dry forest to isolated forest patches in northwestern Costa Rica. We examined the effect of patch area and length of the dry season on nestedness of the entire ... -
Contrasting effects of sampling scale on insect herbivores distribution in response to canopy structure
Neves, Frederico S.; Sperber, Carlos F.; Campos, Ricardo I.; Soares, Janaína P.; Ribeiro, Sérvio P.